Nihilistic Britain: Crowds goaded suicidal man to ‘Get on with it and jump!’

Every day, millions of people worldwide experience some level of distress, depression or suicidal feelings. Some cope, but other act on those feelings. But what happens when that vulnerable person is being encouraged by crowd to jump?

This latest incident in Telford, England reveals aspects of a detached, cruel, nihilistic and gladiatorial culture void of any compassion which has developed in the West over in the last decade.

Previously, 21WIRE reported on the ‘Selfie Culture’ and the cultivation of narcissistic through digital social media.

This disturbing and tragic event should give pause for everyone to reexamine how social attitudes have radically changed in recent years and consider how, or even if, our 21st century society, like the poor jumper, can be pulled back from the proverbial edge of collective insanity.

‘Shocking’ does even begin to describe what we are seeing here…

Police condemn jeering crowd who took selfies and goaded suicidal man to ‘get on with it and jump’ from a multi-storey car park minutes before he plunged to his death

• Man, in his 40’s, sat on roof of multi-storey car park for a couple of hours • Crowd gathered below and some people yelled: ‘Get on with it and jump’ • He plunged to ground and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics • West Mercia Police condemned ‘appalling’ actions of the taunting crowd

A jeering mob encouraged a suicidal man to ‘get on with it and jump’ before he plunged to his death from a car park.Some in the crowd of around 30 even took ‘selfies’ and filmed the drama on their phones as the man stood on a ledge 60ft above ground.

Their actions were last night condemned by police. Officers said that those who took the offensive photographs and posted footage of his death on social media could face prosecution.

The victim, who was in his 40s, had spent two hours on the top of the car park in the town of Telford, Shropshire, before he fell on Saturday afternoon. He has not yet been formally identified.

Witnesses told how cries including ‘How far can you bounce?’ and ‘Go on jump’ could be heard as he stood on the ledge at the Southwater One car park.

A man of 57 who was in a building opposite said: ‘I saw a crowd of people of all ages, some with small children, gathered outside watching this poor man. Many were taking pictures.’

The onlooker, who did not want to be named, said the man had waited on the ledge for more than two hours while a crowd of around 30 gathered below. He said that, although police had cordoned off the scene, some of the mob ducked under the tape to see more.

‘I just felt for the guy,’ the witness said. ‘I can’t imagine what frame of mind he could be in to want to do this. As for those who did take pictures and posted them – they should be ashamed.’

Another witness, Kelly-Anne Taylor, 35, said: ‘People were recording it with their phones and yelling at him to jump.

‘I can’t stop thinking about it. I could have tried to help him. I am so heartbroken for him and his family. Onlookers were yelling at him to jump.’

Others took to social media to tell of their disgust. One woman wrote: ‘The fact people were shouting for the man to jump from that building in Southwater and filming it make me worry for our generation. Scum.’…

21wire

We are a North American and European-based, grass-roots, independent blog offering geopolitical news and media analysis, working with an array of volunteer contributors who write and help to analyse news and opinion from around the world.